Sandwiches

[PolkaDot]

Well, here is the @KSM32 burger.  First off, I am using a freshly ground all-beef blend of chuck, short rib, and brisket.  (40/20/20)  Secondly, I will be incorporating a mushroom duxelle.  That's a finely chopped or minced mushroom combination with herbs, etc, cooked down to a paste. Think Beef Wellington.  However I want the texture and meatiness of the mushrooms to stand out so assume these are not chopped as fine.  It's usually finished with wine or something else.  I will finish with whiskey and reduce it. 

Other ingredients will be a sliced Vidalia onion, cabbage (yes cabbage), and Gorgonzola Piccante.  The roll will be Kaiser.  To me one of the best buns to hold a burger together.

Oh...the duxelle.  It will be a medley of Portabella, Oyster, and Button types cut into small slices.  It will be cooked in butter.  High heat initially but then very low.  I want them to reduce and get 'sticky.'  I will add fresh garlic and a pinch of salt with the mushrooms at first then towards the end I will add some fresh thyme leaves.  Once cooked down, I will raise the heat and add a shot of a fine whiskey, then reduce it until dry.  The whiskey will give a smoky sweetness to the earthiness of the 'shrooms.

After the meat is ground and patties are formed I'll sprinkle them with smoked sea salt and coarse cracked pepper.  Multi-colored peppercorns to boot.  The burger will be cooked over open flame, charred, and finished medium temperature.  The patty gets set aside.  Then the slice of Vidalia onion will be grilled but not cooked soft.  I still want some crunch.  I set that aside and break into rings.  Split the rings into 2 portions.  One for the bottom of the burger and one for the top. 

Now...the cabbage.  You may say "Yuck! cabbage on a burger?"  This cabbage will be shredded razor thin.  The subtle bite of the cabbage and the sweet aftertaste will accent the burger.  The cabbage will be raw.  It will provide a nice foundation for this burger.

Toast the Kaiser roll.  Put the the rest of the onions on the patty.  Top that with 2 TBS of the duxelle.  Then add the Gorganzola on top.  A hearty amount of cheese.  Place in broiler until melted to the point it oozes over the patty and starts get get a tad crispy in areas.  This cheese is sharp and has a little "spiciness" to it.  Not heat per say, but very rich.  The cheese, onion, and 'shrooms will collapse on each other on hold together.

Now, let's build it.

Bottom bun ~ add a small handful of the fluffy razor thin cabbage ~ Add 2 TBS of the duxelle ~ Then take a few of the sweet grilled Vidalia onion rings and layer them on the 'shrooms ~ Place the finished patty that has the onion, 'shrooms and cheese, then cap it off with the top part of the bun.  No condiments needed.  This burger will be rich and juicy.  Grasp the burger hard and press it all together before taking a bite.  You will taste a medley of flavors that should mingle together and be very satisfying.  The smoked sea salt will marry well with the hint of whisky in the mushrooms and the sweetness of the Vidalia will pair well with the raw cabbage. The peppercorn medley will give some mild heat and accent flavors.  The melted Gorgonzola will act as a condiment because of it's melting point and moisture.  Plus it will give a little 'tang' to it. 

Wang dang sweet poontang!!!!

I truly believe @KSM32 would enjoy this.  Perhaps not.  Nonetheless, this is my first crack at it.  I think a nice craft beer would go well with this too.

Thoughts and feedback are appreciated.  I wish I could make it for you so we can actually eat it.  This is just reading food porn now.  And we all know porn.  Some good...a lot bad.

CHEERS! 

PS ~ Sorry if I rambled on or wasn't clear enough.  I didn't want to get into cook times, etc.  I just wanted to give an overview.

Ummmm...WOW!!! This sounds amazing and I'm not a big red meat girl. I'm impressed @ShayP you're possibly the only person that could make @KSM32 palatable.

[PolkaDot]

Pad Thai over a Chicago hotdog. Pickle on the side.

lol

[PolkaDot]

My version of the @KSM32: Guinness battered rattlesnake and wood shavings served on a sweaty gym mat paired with a rusty bucket of single malt whiskey

@TigerLily - There's no reason to be abusing whiskey. 

[PolkaDot]

I’m now getting ads for Vietnamese sandwiches.

@juan -You did it to yourself.

[PolkaDot]

This one is for @juan  I wanted to utilize the things I've seen him post in the garden thread, etc.  This sandwich will be served on a Muffuletta roll.  Not the big one but something suitable. 

First we make a homemade bratwurst style sausage.  However the sausage will be in a patty form and not in a casing.  For the sausage:

(this will yield more than for one sandwich ~ it's easier to make in larger batches)

2 lb pork shoulder.  8 oz. uncut slab bacon or fatback.  Both diced and chilled before grinding.  After grinding together I add 2 eggs, 2 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp marjoram, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 2 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ginger, 2 tsp onion powder, and a heavy pinch of salt.  Blend thoroughly and chill overnight.

Mustard greens, garlic cloves, radishes, tomatoes, and Datil peppers will be part of this.  Let's prep it.  Set aside some cleaned Mustard greens.  We will sauté them later.  Peel some garlic cloves.  3 should suffice, and place them in a pan with some olive oil and heat them on low until soft. You could put them in the oven as well.  Just looking for soft cloves that a paste can be made from.

Thinly slice a few radishes. Thinly slice a couple tomatoes, set aside. The Datil peppers will be halved and seeded.  Place the radishes in a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar...just enough to cover...and refrigerate.  Now, with the peppers, I want to "candy" them in a simple syrup. They won't be sweet and will still have the heat but it's important to the taste profile.  Heat a little sugar and water (50/50) on the stove, medium heat until disolved.  Lower to simmer and place the peppers in there until the slightly soften.

Back to the garlic cloves.  Once softened remove from oil and put in a small bowll then mash into a paste.  After the peppers are slightly softened in the simple syrup remove them and add to the garlic paste.

Let's get the sausage and form a nice thick patty. That will be cooked in an iron skillet.  Or grill if you like.
Lightly sautee the mustard greens in the reserved oil from the roasted garlic cloves.

Grab the Muffuletta roll and warm it in the oven.  Do not toast.  Slice it and let's build the sandwhich.  Oh, get the radishes and remove from the vigar and water...dry them on a paper towel.  Salt and pepper the tomato slices.

Smear the garlic and Datil pepper mixture on both halves of the roll.  Place the mustard greens on the bottom.  Top with some sliced radishes.  Add the sausage patty.  Top with the tomatoes and then add more radishes on top of the tomatoes.

Press together and eat!  My thought process is the sweet earthiness of the roasted garlic combined with the heat of the peppers, accented by a slight sweetness of the simple syrup they were softened in will blend well with the salty, juicy acid of the tomatoes with S&P and the slightly pickled radishes.  The 'bite' of the radishes should go well with the greens (as will the garlic) and all of that wrapped around a mild, rich, bratwurst style patty should give a nice mellow flavor followed by lingering heat and overall flavor.  The Muffuletta roll should hold it all together nicely.

Hopefully this tickles the fancy of @juan   Or maybe someone else.  Hell...it just may suck.  Oh well.  Probably seemed a little complex with the prep but it's not.  I just rambled on with my overview...as I will do.  I even may have missed a step.   

The candied peppers is a fun one! The Juan also sounds like it would be pretty to look at. 

[PolkaDot]

We used to candy Habaneros. Similar to what I did with the Datils here but we'd reduce the Habaneros until the liquid was gone.  Then we dried them.   The sugar would create a dust like appearance and the texture of the pepper was chewy, sort of like licorice.  Sweet off the bat but that heat kicked you in the ass soon after.  If we cooked them again they'd get sticky.  We'd make jam too.  So many options and lots of different ways to do it.  Made syrup too...for desserts!

Oh man...I got to try this!

[PolkaDot]

I wasted no time with @TigerLily and her sammie.    Let's start with the bread.  Whole grain rectangular (or square) roll preferably with molasses as an ingredient and dusted with oats.  I am terrible at baking so these will be store bought.  I can make some mean biscuits, and Focaccia but that's my limit.  I digress...

This sandwich will be cold.  However warm the roll/bread before building it.  Chicken is the protein and I am brining it before it is baked.  It's a 1 pound breast.  The brine is as follows:

2 cups water, 1 half of a lemon, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, 6 whole black peppercorns, 1 clove of fresh garlic, and 3 tbsp. of salt.  Bring all that to a boil for 5 minutes then take off heat. Let cool for a while then add 2 cups of ice.  That should bring it to a low enough temperature to put the chicken breast in without starting a cooking process.  Refrigerate it for 2 hours.  Discard the brine.  After that, remove it from the brine and pat it dry.  Bake covered in foil on a nonstick sheet for 20 minutes @ 350.  If you have a thermometer the meat should be ready at 165 internal temperature.  Probe in the thickest part.  (No comments @KSM32 please)  Let rest then refrigerate.  This will be sliced later.

Now, we will poach a pear in red wine.  A Bosc pear mind you!  Any fine red wine to your liking will do.  Peel the pear.  Leave whole.  Add a 75/25 mix of wine and water to a pot.  Just enough to cover the pear.  Use a small pot for one pear.  We could add cloves and/or orange peel or sugar, but I want to just leave it as is.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat to the lowest setting and let it sit for an hour....rotating every so often so the color is uniform.  We don't want the pear to look like a red beet when done.  We want the red to bleed in about an inch into the pear and have the rest be the natural color.  After the pear is cooled off it will be halved and sliced in a way you can fan it out in the sandwich.  Just thin wedges you can spread to cover the rest of the ingredients.

We'll need a nice Chevre (goat) cheese, a quality honey, walnuts (ground fine), alfalfa sprouts, and arugula micro greens.  Let's assume the chicken is cooled and sliced thin.  And the pears are ready to fan out over the chicken.

I think we can build it now.  I may be rushing through things but I'm determined.  I think I'm distracted by the sound of the lawnmower outside my window.  No matter.

Let's get that hearty and pillowy roll.  Slightly warm.  Give it a fairly heavy smear of that goat cheese on each half.  Sprinkle the ground walnuts on the bottom.  Grab a spoon and very lightly drizzle some honey over top of that.  Thin threads of honey.  Place a small bunch of the arugula microgreens on that.  Then shingle some of that yummy brined and sliced chicken on there.  On top of that a small amount of alfalfa sprouts.  On top of that spread out those poached pears covering the entire surface.  Back to the honey...lightly drizzle, and I mean lightly! hair like strand of honey across them.  Top with the roll already slathered with Chevre.

I see this as being a sandwich that you can eat while drinking a cup of chamomile tea as the sun shines through the window, or on the porch for that matter.

The creaminess of the goat cheese accented by the texture and flavor of the walnuts, along with the slight pepper of the arugula will match well with the chicken and further be accented by the crispy sprouts, the decadent pears and more honey and Chevre.  The wine in the pears adds a slight element of "spice" to go along with the greens. The chicken should me moist with a hint of lemon and rosemary.  The garlic is merely background noise but gives a basis to build flavor.

Okay, lawnmower man is gone and I have to make a real dinner now.  Damn these distractions!

Cheers!  Hope you like it.

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[ShayP]

Ummmm...WOW!!! This sounds amazing and I'm not a big red meat girl. I'm impressed @ShayP you're possibly the only person that could make @KSM32 palatable.

Thanks! @PolkaDot  He @KSM32 provides a lot of flavor, especially when I apply the special juices.

[ShayP]

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    Well, you're in the queue as well.   All I know is fashion and west coast for you. ?  Perhaps I'm forgetting something.  Similar tastes to Tigerlily, maybe?   Throw me a couple do's and don'ts foodwise and I will make your creation soon.   

[ShayP]

As of now I think @RikkiGins is my next victim. 

[KSM]

@ShayP

For the @PolkaDot sammich may I suggest a filling of sauerkraut, sour grapes and whiskey sour.   oh, ..and sour ass on the thumb, for dipping. 

[Bart Ell]

As of now I think @RikkiGins is my next victim. 

Bonk burger!

[ShayP]

@ShayP

For the @PolkaDot sammich may I suggest a filling of sauerkraut, sour grapes and whiskey sour.   oh, ..and sour ass on the thumb, for dipping. 

Served on a yoga mat?

[ShayP]

Bonk burger!

After Rikki, you're next @Bart Ell

[ShayP]

Now, I was contemplating the @Rikki Gins sandwich for a while.  He mentioned a club he had years ago.  So I figured I'd do that.  But I didn't want to do a basic club sandwich.  Not that there's anything wrong with those.  This is Rikki we are talking about!  Look at the gems he's provided to forums.  Interesting, informative, palate cleansers to the typical forum format.  Anyway...

I racked my brain.  I wanted themes, flavors, what matches and doesn't.  I wanted something unique.  I came up with a few ideas but kept going to Italian style ingredients.  So, I stuck with that and hopefully this is a winner.

First the bread.  White bread.  Preferable an artisanal type.  (I hate the way that word - artisanal - is thrown around, but whatever)  Thick slices, toasted.  Oh, and the crust will be trimmed off.  It will be cross-cut like the average club sandwich and will have some long frill picks as well to hold it together.  Fun!

No bacon.   You say "Whaaat?"  Don't worry about it.  I'm using Prosciutto di Parma.  Salty and nutty, also leaner.  I'm using turkey as well.  Brined as usual and cooked.  I try to do my own meats if I can. (No jokes) Of course, the prosciutto will be purchased.  The turkey will be brined in 2 cups water, half a lemon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 peppercorns, and 2 heavy pinches of salt.  Boil, take off heat, add 2 cups of ice, put turkey breast in, chill for 4 hours in fridge.  Then bake covered until done.  Set aside and chill.  Slice thin.

Procure a small wedge of Black truffle Pecorino cheese from your deli.  Get some sliced provolone as well.  We'll also need a big Beefsteak tomato, some crisp Romaine, fresh basil, fresh garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan.  Those last 5 are for the pesto.  We also need some mayo, honey, and a good Dijon mustard.

Sorry.  ShayP is lazy in his method and measurements today.  I beg forgiveness.  That being said, let's make some pesto.  Place about a cup of basil in a processor or blender.  Add 1 tbs of pine nuts, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbs of grated parmesan, and start blending while drizzling the olive oil into the ingredients.  We want it to be a paste and not too oily.  A little runny is fine but you don't want a loose mess.  Set aside and chill pesto.

Slice your tomato and season it with salt and pepper.  Wash a couple romaine leaves and trim of the thick parts.  In a small bowl combine 2 tbs Dijon mustard and 1 tsp of honey.  Get out a grater of some sort.  You will need it for the Truffle Pecorino.  Have the mayo on hand and get that bread toasted...3 slices.

Let's build it:

Place the 3 slices of toast on the cutting board.   One one slice, which will be the bottom, put a heavy smear of mayo on the toast.  Then grate an ample amount of the Truffle Pecorino.  Enough to give it a good layer of coverage, but not so much it becomes overpowering.  About 2 tbs.  Top that with the thinly sliced turkey breast.  About an inch and a half of meat.  Place a slice of that tomato on the turkey.  Then, take another slice of toast and spread pesto on it.  Lay the toast (pesto side down) on the turkey.  Bottom half done!

Okay, place a slice of provolone on that middle piece of toast and then top that with 2 to 3 leaves of romaine lettuce...depending on the thickness of the lettuce leaves.
Place a slice of that tomato on the lettuce.  Then put several folded slices of the Prosciutto on the tomato.  4 or 5 to make it the same thickness as the amount of turkey.
Add one more slice of provolone on the Prosciutto.  Take the remaining slice of toast and give a good coating of the honey Dijon mixture.  Place that top slice of toast mustard side down.

Lightly press sandwich together and insert 4 frill picks.  You know where they go!  Then cross cut it into triangles and then push the picks in further to hold it together.

Here is my thought on the flavor profile.  No need for bacon.  Maybe the crispiness will be missed but the salty richness of the Prosciutto di Parma makes up for flavor and is leaner.  The buttery flavor of the provolone and the sweetness of the honey Dijon mask the saltiness of the ham without losing taste.

Lettuce and tomato are a given.  Fresh crispy juiciness.  The pesto gives the herb component with a little richness from the oil.  I think it balances well with the lettuce and tomato.

On the bottom half, the boldness of the truffle in the pecorino cheese will awaken your taste buds and is a perfect accent for the turkey.  The cheese is grated on the mayo to mellow it a bit and give a good mouth-feel with the mayo melding with the turkey.  Pesto above for the same reason as listed previously.  the texture, herbs, and garlic will accent and bring together both halves.

So when you bite into this you will taste different notes one at a time from top to bottom that will satisfy.  Nothing too overpowering but very savory with salty hints.

I want to add some pickles on the side, so I'll go with some Whiskey Cornichons.  Pick up a jar if you see them.  Not your usual pickle but a nice abstract compliment to most sandwiches.

If @Rikki Gins doesn't enjoy this maybe someone else will.  I'll eat it all myself dammit! LOL!

Cheers all!

I have to add the disclaimer about rambling on with the overview, blah blah blah.    If I made some error or wasn't clear just curse me under your breath before getting up from your computer.